Habit 1: Be Proactive

7 Habits Booster Shots

Gary McGuey

Habit 1: Be Proactive

The Habit of Personal Responsibility

15 min

Key Concept: Proactive Language

Video: Proactive Language (3:35)

Practice Card Discussion (Paper or App): Get with your accountability partner. Use practice card #2 to facilitate a discussion around reactive/proactive language. Remind staff of the importance of using the 7 Habits language in a proactive way (don’t use the 7 Habits with a negative tone) and don’t overuse the 7 Habits language.)

21-Day Challenge: Be aware of your language. Intentionally use proactive language when communicating with students, colleagues, families (especially your own family), and others.

30 min

Key Concept: Proactive Language and Circle of Influence

Video: Proactive Language (3:35)

Practice Cards (Paper or App): Use practice cards 2 and 3. (Remind staff of the importance of using the 7 Habits language in a proactive way (don’t use the 7 Habits with a negative tone) and don’t overuse the 7 Habits language.)

21-Day Challenge: Be aware of your language. Intentionally use proactive language when communicating with students, colleagues, families (especially your own family), and others. When facing a challenge, focus your energy within your circle of influence.

45 min

Key Concept: Pause and Respond based on Principles, Use Proactive Language, Circle of Influence

Video: Carry your own Weather (7:28) and Proactive Language (3:35)

Practice Cards (Paper or App): Use practice cards 1, 2 and 3 to guide a leadership discussion. (Remind staff of the importance of using the 7 Habits language in a proactive way (don’t use the 7 Habits with a negative tone) and don’t overuse the 7 Habits language.)

21-Day Challenge: Be aware of your language. Intentionally use proactive language when communicating with students, colleagues, families (especially your own family), and others. In a highly charged situation, pause, and choose a proactive response. When facing a challenge, focus your energy within your circle of influence.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

The Habit of Personal Vision

15 min

Key Concept: Define Outcomes before You Act

Video: Begin with the End in Mind (2:54)

Practice Card Discussion (Paper or App): Get with your accountability partner: Reflect back on discuss the paradigms and the principles associated with this habit. Use practice card #5 to facilitate a discussion around “Define Outcomes before You Act”.

21-Day Challenge: Commit to one professional and personal situation in which you will define the outcomes you want, what will the final result look like?

30 min

Key Concept: Personal Mission Statement and Classroom Mission Statement

Video: 80th Birthday (5:08)

Practice Cards (Paper or App) Get with your accountability partner. Use practice card #6 to facilitate a discussion around Mission Statement Process, discuss the paradigms and the principles associated with this habit. Reflect back on what you wrote in the Mission Statement Process; discuss the benefits of personal Mission Statement. Share the benefits of your Classroom Mission Statement.

21-Day Challenge: Revisit and refine your Personal Mission Statement.

45 min

Key Concept: Define Outcomes Before You Act, Personal Mission Statement and Classroom Mission Statement

Videos: Begin with the End (2:54) in Mind and 80th Birthday (5:08)

Practice Cards (Paper or App): Get with your accountability partner: Reflect back on the paradigms and the principles associated with this habit. Use practice card #5 to facilitate a discussion around “Define Outcomes Before You Act”. . Use practice card #6 to facilitate a discussion around Mission Statement Process, discuss the paradigms and the principles associated with this habit. Reflect back on what you wrote in the Mission Statement Process; discuss the benefits of personal Mission Statement.

21-Day Challenge: Commit to one professional and personal situation in which you will define the outcomes you want, what will the final result look like? Commit to when you when you will revisit and refine your Mission Statement. Discuss where you may display your Personal Mission Statement. Are your students living in alignment with their classroom mission statement? Take a moment to revisit this with your class.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

The Habit of Personal Management

15 min

Key Concept: Time Matrix

Video: Time Matrix (3:57)

Practice Card Discussion (Paper or App): Get with your accountability partner. Review the paradigms and the principles associated with this habit. Use practice card #7 to facilitate a discussion around the Time Matrix. Challenge the team to share best practices and how to invest in QII and minimize QIII’s.

21-Day Challenge: Monitor your weekly activities and recognize what per cent of your time you are spending in the various quadrants and continue to focus on QII activities.

30 min

Key Concept: Time Matrix

Video: Time Matrix (3:57)

Practice Cards (Paper or App): Get with your accountability partner. Review the paradigms and the principles associated with this habit. Use practice cards #7 and #8 to facilitate a discussion around the Time Matrix and how to eliminate the unimportant. Challenge the team to share best practices and how to invest in QII and ways to eliminate the unimportant.

21-Day Challenge: Monitor your weekly activities and recognize the time you spend in the various quadrants.

45 min

Key Concept: Time Matrix and Weekly Planning

Video: Proactive Language: Time Matrix (3:57) and Weekly Planning (3:40)

Practice Cards (Paper or App): Get with your accountability partner. Review the paradigms and the principles associated with this habit. Use practice cards #7, #8 and #9 to facilitate a discussion around the Time Matrix and Weekly Planning. Challenge the team to share best practices and how to invest in QII and minimize QIII’s.

21-Day Challenge: Intentionally begin each week with a personal and professional plan. Have an awareness of imbalance within the Time Matrix. Beware of choices that could throw you out of balance, and have integrity in the moment of choice.

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

The Habit of Mutual Benefit

15 min

Key Concept: Have an Abundance Mentality

Video: Win-Win Thinking (4:26)

Practice Card Discussion (Paper or App): Use practice card 12 to guide a leadership discussion.

Key Questions:

Are you a win-win thinker?
Have you ever settled for lose-win?
Have you ever been involved in a win-lose situation? How would you handle that situation differently today?

21-Day Challenge: Identify a current situation or relationship where you are not getting win-win outcomes. For the next 21 days, intentionally think win-win and make emotional bank account deposits. Seek support from your accountability partner and plan a debrief conversation at the end of the 21 days.

30 min

Key Concept: Have an Abundance Mentality, Balance Courage and Consideration and Consider other People’s Wins as Well as your Own

Video: Win-Win Thinking (4:26)

Practice Card Discussion (Paper or App): Use practice card 12, 13 and 14 to guide a leadership discussion.

Key Questions:

Are you a win-win thinker?
Have you ever settled for lose-win?
Have you ever been involved in a win-lose situation? How would you handle that situation differently today?

45 min

Key Concept: Have an Abundance Mentality, Balance Courage and Consideration and Consider other People’s Wins as Well as your Own and Create Win-Win Agreements

Video: Win-Win Thinking (4:26) and Green and Clean (4:49)

Practice Card Discussion (Paper or App): Use practice card 12, 13, 14 and 15 to guide a leadership discussion.

Key Questions:

Are you a win-win thinker?
Have you ever settled for lose-win?
Have you ever been involved in a win-lose situation? How would you handle that situation differently today?

Group Activity Option: Discuss a challenging situation at school. Identify your wins and the other person’s wins. From there, identify an agreement that would be acceptable for both parties.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood

The Habit of Empathic Communication

15 min

Key Concept: Practice Empathic Listening

Video: It’s Not about the Nail (1:34)

Practice Card Discussion (Paper or App): Use practice card 16 to guide a leadership discussion.

Key Questions:

Do you listen with the intent to understand?
Do you respond by genuinely reflecting the other persons feelings and words?
Do you often listen with the intent to respond autobiographically?

21-Day Challenge: Identify one (or more) personal or professional relationships that challenge you the most; relationships where the communication is poor, ineffective or even guarded. Spend the next 21 days consciously listening with the intent to understand. Once you are confident the other person(s) feel understood, you can share your own point of view with respect and clarity.

30 min

Key Concept: Practice Empathic Listening and Respectfully Seeking to be Understood

Video: Autobiographical Responses (3.0 version) or It’s Not about the Nail (1:34)

Practice Card Discussion (Paper or App): Use practice card 16 and 17 to guide a leadership discussion.

Key Questions:

Do you listen with the intent to understand?
Do you respond by genuinely reflecting the other persons feelings and words?
Do you often listen with the intent to respond autobiographically?

45 min

Key Concept: Practice Empathic Listening and Respectfully Seeking to be Understood

Video: Autobiographical Responses (3.0 version) and It’s Not about the Nail (1:34)

Practice Card Discussion (Paper or App): Use practice card 16 and 17 to guide a leadership discussion.

Key Questions:

Do you listen with the intent to understand?
Do you respond by genuinely reflecting the other persons feelings and words?
Do you often listen with the intent to respond autobiographically?

Deeper Application: In groups of three, use the skill cards to facilitate discussions, small group role-plays or create and perform a large group skit. Note: The coil bound cards that were included in your 7 Habits workshop participant kit OR on the Living the 7 Habits App.

Habit 6: Synergize

The Habit of Creative Cooperation

15 min

Key Concept: Seek 3rd Alternatives

Video: none

Practice Card Discussion (Paper or App): Use practice card #19 to facilitate a discussion around seeking 3rd alternatives.

21-Day Challenge: Identify a challenging situation at school or home. Develop and execute a strategy that could result in a 3rd alternative.

30 min

Key Concept: Seek 3rd Alternatives

Video: Landfill Harmonic (5:09)

Practice Card Discussion (Paper or App): Use practice cards #18 and #19 to facilitate a discussion around valuing differences and seeking 3rd alternatives. Ask small groups to discuss and share a situation where a 3rd alternative was reached.

21-Day Challenge: Identify a challenging situation at school or home. Develop and execute a strategy that could result in a 3rd alternative.

45 min

Key Concept: Value Differences and Seek 3rd Alternatives

Video: Landfill Harmonic (5:09)

Practice Card Discussion (Paper or App): Use practice cards #18 and #19 to facilitate a discussion around valuing differences and seeking 3rd alternatives.

Group activity: Discuss a challenging situation at school or home. Use the model on practice card #19 as you seek a 3rd alternative.

21-Day Challenge: Identify a challenging situation at school or home. Develop and execute a strategy that could result in a 3rd alternative.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

The Habit of Daily Self-Renewal

15 min

Key Concept: Daily Private Victory

Video: None

Practice Card Discussion (Paper or App): Get with your accountability partner. Use practice card #20 to facilitate a discussion around what is meant by daily private victory. With your partner, create a strategy to support each other within the 21-day challenge.

21-Day Challenge: Achieve daily private victory every day for the next 21 days.

30 min

Key Concept: Daily Private Victory

Video: Daily Private Victory (5:33)

21-Day Challenge: Achieve daily private victory every day for the next 21 days.

45 min

Key Concept: Daily Private Victory

Video: Daily Private Victory (5:33)

Group Team building Activity:

Step 1: Get four sheets of chart paper and four markers

Step 2: Spread the pieces of chart paper around the room. Ideally, they would be taped on four walls.

Step 3: Give each piece of chart paper the following headings:

· Chart paper #1: Physical

· Chart paper #2: Mental

· Chart paper #3: Social-Emotional

· Chart paper #4: Spiritual

Step 4: Divide your group into four groups. Everyone whose birthday is:

· Jan-March: Go to Chart paper #1

· April – June: Go to Chart paper #2

· July – September: Go to Chart paper #3

· October – December: Go to Chart paper #4

Step 5: (Give each group a marker) Give each group 2-3 minutes to write down as many ways to sharpen the saw in that dimension. For example, in the physical dimension, the group may write, walk, run, yoga, etc.